Heritage

Every story has a beginning and we are proud to share ours.

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Establishment

Sir George White Bt., (1854-1916), a 'self-made' entrepreneur and philanthropist introduced the first conventional electric tramways to Great Britain. Bristol Tramway's electric system opened in 1898 and London United Electric Tramways followed in 1901.

Through Imperial Tramways, he pioneered electric street traction in many other cities. He introduced motor busses to Bristol in 1904, setting up a factory to build "Bristol" commercial vehicles in 1908. In 1908, he also introduced motor taxis to the streets of Bristol, while at the same time turning his attention to the air.

In 1910 he founded what was to become the Bristol Aeroplane Company. His aircraft works at Filton were the first in the United Kingdom to be organised and financed on an industrial scale.

"Bristol" aircraft distinguished themselves in both World Wars and by 1944 the company's workforce had risen to 70,000 men and women.

To maintain employment at the conclusion of the Second World War, the company began to manufacture motor cars under aircraft standards, under the direction of George S.M. White, the founder's grandson.

Bristol Tramways

In 1871 a London syndicate proposed building a street tramway in Bristol. The City Council rejected the plan and instead formulated its own scheme. Rails were laid by spring 1874, but costs escalated wildly.

The City also found itself legally unable to operate the system and was obliged to seek outside help. John Stanley, a prominent Bristol commercial solicitor therefore instructed his office junior, George White, to assemble a Bristol syndicate to take the project on.

This he did and the Bristol Tramways Company was formed in 1875 under the chairmanship of the Bristol oil and tar manufacturer William Butler. George White was appointed Company Secretary and negotiated the Parliamentary Bills to extend the system. He became the driving force not only behind Bristol Tramways, but behind numerous other tramway companies including Imperial and London United.

He was in due course appointed managing director at Bristol and from 1900 until his death in 1916, served as chairman. During this latter period, he also founded the Bristol Aeroplane Company, linking advanced road transport with the conquest of the air.

Bristol Tramways Timeline

1874-1895

The first twenty years of the Tramways Company saw a rapid increase in the size of the system. Scheduled horse buses were run as feeders to the trams and in those areas where tramways were resisted by the local community. Steam locomotives were tested on the tramlines, but the smoke and sparks they emitted, proved to be their downfall.

George White, Managing Director and James Clifton Robinson, the engineer to the company, therefore chose to pioneer 'electric street traction', using the 'overhead trolley' system, which later became commonplace throughout Britain. The first electric trams were launched with great ceremony and amidst huge crowds on the line running from Old Market to Kingswood in 1895.

1896-1905

A "Committee of Citizens", chaired by George White had persuaded the City Council to replace the ancient drawbridge across Bristol's inner docks with a fixed bridge in 1892.

For the first time the old city was permanently connected by a direct road to its affluent western suburbs. In 1896 the Tramways Company acquired premises near to this nodal point and was thus able to reinvent the area around the old floating harbour as a vibrant new "Tramway Centre". "The Centre" is the name still used today.

From here electric trams, powered by the company's own generating stations, provided a regular and efficient service to the edges of the city and beyond.

1906-1910

The Tramways company had taken the decision to pioneer the use of motorbuses as a further extension to the trams as early as 1904. Twelve Thorneycroft vehicles were purchased together with a number of Fiat double-deckers. In 1906 the first scheduled motorbus service was introduced from Bristol's Victoria Rooms to the famous Brunel Suspension Bridge.

Finding the buses insufficiently powerful to conquer Bristol's hills, the now Sir George White opted to build his own Bristol-powered chassis. Six sixteen-seat single-deck buses were constructed in the Company's works and named the Bristol C40.

Thus began the Bristol Tramways venture into commercial vehicle construction, which was to continue until the "Bristol" name finally disappeared from newly manufactured buses and lorries in 1983.

In 1908 Bristol launched the first of its celebrated petrol-driven "Blue Taxis", the last horse cabs being withdrawn in 1910, the year in which Sir George also founded what became the Bristol Aeroplane Company as a private venture. The sheds used for aircraft construction were rented from Bristol Tramways, being part of their northernmost depot at Filton.

1911-1916

As the vehicle building side of the business expanded, it was moved in 1913 to the extensive "Motor Constructional Works" at Brislington, which when war broke out was turned over to supplying the military.

Working with its sister company at Filton, it turned out some 1200 Bristol aeroplanes between 1914 and 1918. 1916 however marked the sudden death of Sir George, the entrepreneurial driving force behind all these events.

As the vehicle building side of the business expanded, it was moved in 1913 to the extensive "Motor Constructional Works" at Brislington, which when war broke out was turned over to supplying the military.

Working with its sister company at Filton, it turned out some 1200 Bristol aeroplanes between 1914 and 1918. 1916 however marked the sudden death of Sir George, the entrepreneurial driving force behind all these events.

1917-1935

Recurrent threats by Bristol City Council to re-acquire the city's tramways under the terms of the 1870 Tramway Act, removed all incentive to the Tramway Company to modernise. What had been state-of-the-art rolling stock in 1895 was now ageing.

After the unexpected death of Sir George White, whose plan had been to distribute shares to his workforce so that everyone had an equal incentive to succeed, his able but less far-sighted brother Samuel took over as chairman.

Although the Company expanded its bus interests into Bath and acquired Greyhound Motors to run pioneering scheduled coach services to London, the company lacked its former drive.

Samuel White died in 1928 and while his heirs remained on the company's board until October 1935, they sold their majority shareholding to the Great Western Railway. Thus while both Bristol Tramways (later renamed the "Bristol Omnibus Company") and the Bristol Aeroplane Company both continued under the famous "Bristol" name and logo, the close 'family' relationship between the two was gradually severed.

Personalities

William Butler

In the construction of the Bristol and Exeter Railway, Isambard Kingdom Brunel needed a satisfactory wood preservative for the sleepers. He decided to make use of creosote, a coal by-product recently patented by John Bethell. With Bethell's assistance, he set up a Tar Works at Crew's Hole, near the Bristol Avon in 1843, appointing his protégé William Butler to take charge.

By 1863, having already set up a second tar works on the River Severn at Gloucester, Butler had taken over the business, trading as William Butler & Co. In 1878 he purchased the Crown Preserved Coal Company of Cardiff, making his chemicals company a substantial enterprise.

Butler was clearly one of the magic circle of leading Bristol businessmen well known to the Bristol commercial solicitor John Stanley. When Stanley instructed his office junior George White to assemble a consortium to take over and run Bristol Council's failed tramline in 1875, Butler was an obvious choice as chairman.

Butler at once appointed the young George White as Secretary to the newly formed Bristol Tramways Company and wisely gave him his head. White worked tirelessly to expand the business under Butler's watchful eye and must have learnt much from him. Given the size of the transport and engineering empire that George White was eventually to create in addition to the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company, it is perhaps no surprise that he had at first been mentored by the successful entrepreneur Butler.

Butler as a young man had experienced Brunel's genius. Brunel in turn had worked under his father Marc Brunel, who had himself worked closely with one of the greatest engineers of his day, Henry Maudslay.

If that was not enough, Brunel had in his youth not only been influenced by the work of his great uncle, the chronometer maker Thomas Mudge, but had studied in Paris under Abraham Louis Breguet, a watchmaker and engineer of consummate skill. There could have been no more remarkable set of business skills coming together in Butler, than that.

With the advent of the internal combustion engine, William Butler & Co turned in 1890 to the pioneering distillation of motor benzole. Although Butler himself died in October 1900, his company went on to form a subsidiary under the name of "The British Refined Motor Spirit Company" in 1903 and indeed registered the first motorcar in Bristol under the 1904 Motor Act, the licence plate being "AE 1". No doubt this ready supply of fuel had a direct influence on the introduction by Bristol Tramways of motorbuses, lorries and taxis in the years immediately following Butler's death.

James Clifton Robinson

James Clifton Robinson, one of the most celebrated names in tramway engineering in the Victoria and Edwardian era, was appointed General Manager of Bristol Tramways when it opened in 1875.

Robinson had been born to penniless parents in Birkenhead in 1848. At the age of twelve he watched the eccentric American George Francis Train lay Britain’s first public horse tramway in Birkenhead’s streets and had wheedled his way into a job as Train's office boy. In 1866 he had travelled to America with Train and there gained much experience in building and operating street railways. He returned to Britain and in 1873 became Manager of Cork Tramways, where he met and married Mary Edith Martin.

Despite his efforts, Cork Tramways eventually failed and from there the Robinsons moved to Bristol. In Bristol Clifton Robinson began a lifelong friendship and business partnership with George White, Bristol Tramways' twenty-one year old Company Secretary. The two proved to be an unbeatable team in all the transport projects they undertook in later years, with Robinson providing the engineering skills and White providing the financial and management schemes and a sense of stability.

In 1882 Robinson was appointed General Manager of the Edinburgh Street Tramways Company and from there he moved on to organise the Highgate Hill line in London, the first cable tramway in Europe. Back to to America once again, he became General Manager of the Los Angeles Cable Railway. There, as a result of a foolish bet, he all but ruined his own reputation. He recovered from this however and having been appointed by the American Street Railway Association to write a report on mechanical traction in 1889, travelled extensively in America and Canada, presenting his paper at Pittsburgh in 1891.

George White, Managing Director of Bristol Tramways, had by then acquired a majority shareholding in Imperial Tramways, which owned systems in Reading, Gloucester, Middlesbrough and Dublin. Robinson therefore returned at his friend’s invitation to become Managing Director of the re-formed Company. He was also invited to advise on electrifying Bristol Tramways, for which he strongly recommended the overhead trolley system. The pioneering line from Old Market to Kingswood was declared open on October 14th 1895.

By this time, George White had also acquired the assets of the failed West Metropolitan Tramways in London and again invited Clifton Robinson to join the board as Managing Director and Engineer. Robinson’s irrepressible energy, ingenuity, flamboyance and determination carried the reconstruction of the company through to its re-opening as London United Electric Tramways in July 1901, the first conventional electric tramway in the capital. Just as George White received a baronetcy in the summer of 1904, so James Clifton Robinson received a knighthood for his work in July 1905.

With his fame at its height, Robinson was by now advising on tramways systems worldwide. In 1907 Clifton Robinson and his wife set out on the maiden voyage of the SS Mauretania for a world tour, which took them to America. From there they travelled to Japan and China, returning via the Suez Canal. Robinson, ever active, returned to New York once more in 1910 where he collapsed, perhaps appropriately, in the seat of a tramcar. He died aged 62, before medical assistance could reach him.

The Bristol Aeroplane Company

By the end of the 19th century, Sir George White Bt (1854-1916), stockbroker, entrepreneur and philanthropist had built himself a considerable transport empire.

He was much involved in revitalizing railways and had introduced conventional electric tramways to Britain. He now turned his attention to motor busses and lorries, importing motor taxis from France.

Meanwhile relations between Britain and Germany were deteriorating rapidly. Germany was vastly increasing their naval strength and in 1908, Count von Zeppelin shocked the British nation with the success of his airship LZ4.

In France the same year, Wilbur Wright astounded Europe by revealing the Wright brothers' ability to fly. The British Government and her armed forces seemed paralyzed as Britain's traditional strength as an island fortress melted away.

Sir George determined to take matters into his own hands and spent 1909 laying plans for a properly financed aircraft industry for Britain.

With his brother Samuel and his son G. Stanley White as founding directors, he announced the formation of the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company in February 1910.

Bristol Aeroplane Company Timeline

1908-1910

Many of the finest motor vehicles at this period were manufactured in France. Sir George imported numerous French cars and taxi chassis to England through Emile Stern of 17 Rue Montaigne, Paris. Stern also acted as agent for Léon Bollée cars in France and was their sole agent in America.

There is little doubt that when Bollée invited Wilbur Wright to erect and demonstrate his aeroplane at the Bollé factory near Le Mans, news of the event quickly reached George White at Bristol.

On October 31st 1908 a 'Bristol' delegation, consisting of Emile Stern, Sydney Smith (George White's nephew and tramway employee) and George Challenger (a tramway employee and aeronautical enthusiast) travelled from Paris to meet Wright and his European agent, Hart O. Berg at Auvors.

Within days, Sir George himself was in France and in February 1909 he travelled to Pau, to watch both Wright brothers fly. In August he attended the great Rheims Air Meet.

After six months careful planning, Sir George purchased the British manufacturing rights for the French Voisin-designed 'Zodiac' aeroplane.

1910-1914

This period was one of excitement, invention, competition, success and failure. The underpowered French Zodiac proved incapable of flight, so Sir George instructed George Challenger to design a new aeroplane of the Farman type.

The first 'Bristol' Boxkite was built at Filton and reached 150 feet on its maiden flight at Larkhill.

Initially, highly respected pilots and engineers were brought in from the continent. Pilots included Edmond, Jullerot, Tabuteau, Tétard, Versepuy and Granseigne. Engineers included Paul Prier and Henri Coanda.

Soon British and Empire pilots and engineers took their place, such as Eric Gordon England, Bertram Dickson, Douglas Graham Gilmour, Harry Busteed, Clifford Tinson and Frank Barnwell. By 1911, 'Bristol' could claim to be the world's largest aircraft manufacturer.

'Bristol' aircraft competed in the Circuits of Britain and Europe. 'Bristol' flying schools were founded at Larkhill, Brooklands and Eastchurch and Sir George opened Britain's first airports ("air stations") at Filton, Larkhill, Brooklands and Eastchurch.

'Bristol' delegations demonstrated aircraft in India and Australia and Britain's first aeronautical export was agreed with the Tsar of Russia.

1914-1918

The 'Bristol' Scout, a small racing biplane with a top speed of 97.5 mph caused a sensation at the Olympia Aero Show in 1914.

On the outbreak of war both the army and the navy placed orders and ultimately some 400 'Bristol' Scouts served in all theatres of the War. They were nicknamed "Bristol Bullets".

By official diktat, production at Filton was turned over to manufacturing Royal Aircraft Factory BE2s, leading to the demoralization and leaching away of Bristol staff.

The Chief Designer Frank Barnwell joined the Royal Flying Corps, but returned in 1915 to design the 132 mph 'Bristol' M1 A, monoplane. This fast and manoeuvrable aircraft never faced the Fokker menace, because the military judged its landing speed too great for French aerodromes.

Over one hundred M1C aircraft however served in the Middle East. Bristol's greatest triumph was Barnwell's two-seater 'Bristol' Fighter, judged the finest aircraft of its type in the war.

Sir George White died however in November 1916. His younger brother Samuel succeeded him as chairman, but full responsibility for running the company remained with his son Sir G. Stanley White Bt., (1882-1965).

1918-1920

Within fifteen days of the Armistice, all Government contracts were cancelled. Sir Stanley White found himself with 3000 employees and no work.

A huge triplane, the 'Bristol' Braemar, built to answer the military requirement to strike far into Germany, stood unwanted. A civilian airline conversion found no market. Efforts to convert the Fighter as a civilian transport met with some success, but numerous other designs barely passed the prototype stage.

To avoid the ruinous burden of heavy retrospective taxation on wartime production, existing aircraft companies in Britain were permitted to close and transfer their assets to new companies. Thus in 1919 the British & Colonial was reborn as the Bristol Aeroplane Company.

Despite the precarious financial position, Sir Stanley and his fellow directors Herbert Thomas and Henry White Smith decided to risk rescuing Cosmos, an aircraft engine company then in administration.

Cosmos, under its immensely talented Chief Engineer Roy Fedden became the Bristol aero engine department. After an uncertain start, the department became the savior of the company.

1920-1928

As the airframe side of the Bristol company struggled to find a post-war market, the Bristol Jupiter engine came to perfection. It sold in substantial numbers and was soon joined by the Bristol Mercury and the Bristol Pegasus.

In late 1926 however the directors decided to sanction a private venture fighter biplane powered by the Jupiter, which became the famous 'Bristol' Bulldog. Nearly 450 Bulldogs were ordered for the R.A.F and for eight other national airforces.

During this period the titular head of the company, Samuel White, barely attended, choosing to leave his nephew Sir Stanley fully in charge of the business.

Samuel however died in 1928, and left his controlling financial interest in the late Sir George White's business empire not to Sir Stanley but jointly to his cousins, William Verdon Smith, Henry White Smith, Col. Sydney Smith and their two sisters.

William Verdon Smith assumed the chairmanship of the Aeroplane Company, Sydney Smith joined the Board. Sir Stanley continued to run the company as managing director, a post he had held since 1911.

1928-1935

Spectacular aerobatic displays at Hendon by R.A.F. Bristol Bulldogs brought the company renewed international fame.

Nearly 2000 Bristol Jupiter engines were sold and a further 8000 were built under licence overseas. They powered 262 different types of aircraft, supplying nearly half the world's airlines and air forces.

The famous Bristol sleeve valve engines were developed beginning with the Perseus. Between 1929 and 1937 Jupiter and Pegasus engines took the world altitude record five times, the specially built Bristol High Altitude Monoplane reaching 53,937ft (16,440 metres).

In 1933, two Westland biplanes powered by Bristol Pegasus engines became the first to fly over Mount Everest. Absolute reliability was required (and given) as there was no hope of rescue in the event of failure.

The threat of War ended the lean time experienced by the aircraft industry since 1918 and to finance expansion on 15th June 1935 the Bristol Aeroplane Company became a limited liability company.

By Christmas 1935 Sir Stanley White had increased staff numbers from 4,000 to 8,233. A new headquarters was built.

1935-1938

The revelation that a low-wing monocoque private passenger aircraft, designed and built by Bristol for Lord Rothermere, could out-pace the R.A.F.'s latest fighter by 50 mph, led to the immediate development of the 'Bristol' Blenheim "high performance medium bomber".

Many thousands eventually served the allied air forces, but the rapid acceleration of pre-war aeronautical advance, soon rendered the Blenheim out-dated and derivative Bolingbrokes and Beauforts followed.

Leslie Frise, who became Bristol's chief designer in 1938 after the tragic death of Frank Barnwell in a flying accident, brilliantly re-configured the Beaufort's structure to create the pugnacious and heavily armed 'Bristol' Beaufighter. Nearly 6,000 Beaufighters served with distinction in all theatres of the war.

During this period also the 1,735hp 'Bristol' Hercules engine was perfected, which would soon power many famous aircraft including the Beaufighter, the Avro Lancaster BII and the Vickers Wellington. 57,400 engines were produced.

On 3rd September 1939, war was declared. The first aircraft to cross the enemy frontier was a Bristol Blenheim IV of 139 Squadron.

The following day ten Blenheims and eight Bristol-powered Wellingtons bombed the pocket battleship von Scheer at Brunsbüttel.

1940-1945

In September 1940 a huge force of Heinkel bombers with a Messerschmitt escort rained down high explosive and oil bombs on the Bristol factory.

This caused many deaths and hardened the resolve of the workforce and the management both at Filton and the Shadow Factories to work incessantly to turn out the finest and safest aircraft possible to ensure victory.

Before hostilities ended these included the Bristol Blenheim, Bolingbroke, Beaufighter, Buckingham, Brigand and Buckmaster and over 100,000 high-powered Bristol sleeve-valve engines.

In 1944 Bristol acquired the design team from the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment under Raoul Hafner, to form a pioneering helicopter division.

With a workforce approaching some 70,000 men and women, Sir Stanley White and the Bristol Board took care to lay plans for peacetime production, against the day when victory might be won.

These included a wide spectrum of projects from the manufacture of aluminium "Aero" houses for those who had been bombed out, to a long-range high speed 'Bristol' powered anti-submarine patrol boat and the production of high quality 'Bristol' cars and engines.

1945-1956

As soon as victory had been won, the Bristol Aeroplane Company turned its attention to two great Government sponsored orders, the Bristol Brabazon transatlantic airliner (Britain's largest civil aircraft) and a smaller airliner, the Bristol Britannia.

The Bristol Car Division was launched to great acclaim and enjoyed considerable sporting success.

The Helicopter Division developed what became the single rotor Sycamore and pioneered twin rotors with what became the Belvedere.

The Bristol guided weapons division produced the Bloodhound ground-to-air missile. The Bristol Engine Division turned to the design and manufacture of jets, notably the Proteus and the Olympus.

A combination of financial strain and Government policy with regard to the entire industry, led to the restructuring of the company in 1956. The various Bristol divisions became separate entities, wholly owned by their parent company.

Sir Stanley White had already retired after 43 years as managing director and had been appointed deputy chairman. Sir William Verdon Smith retired as chairman.

George S.M. White and Sir Reginald Verdon Smith succeeded as joint managing directors and Sir Reginald succeeded his father in the chair.

1956-1960

Under Stanley Hooker, Bristol's Chief Engineer, the Bristol Pegasus engine was developed, finally powering the Hawker Harrier. The Bristol Olympus, which powered the Avro Vulcan was continuously upgraded until ultimately it became the power-plant for Concorde.

Under the Bristol name, drop-tanks, sailing boats and car bodies for Lotus were built. Rocket cases were made for space exploration and plans were laid for the Mach 2 Bristol Type 188, which flew first in 1962.

Archibald Russell, its designer, was also much engaged in designing the slender ogee-wings for what became the Bristol 221. This in turn led to his revolutionary Bristol 223, a design which became the basis for Concorde.

In 1959 however, the British Government forced mergers in the aircraft industry. Bristol was split, its airframe side becoming part of the British Aircraft Corporation, while its engine division merged to become Bristol Siddeley. Almost overnight, the world-famous Bristol Aeroplane Company, ceased to manufacture.

Its legacy, however, continues to this day in many successor companies, principally Airbus, BAe Systems, Rolls-Royce and Bristol Cars.

Personalities

Sir George White Bt.

Founder and first chairman of the Bristol Aeroplane Company

George White was the second son of a Bristol painter and decorator. At the age of fourteen and after a rudimentary education, he obtained a job as office boy to Stanley and Wasbrough, then Bristol's leading commercial solicitors. His hard work and obvious intelligence drew him to the attention of Mr. Stanley, who trusted and mentored him. At the age of twenty-two, he set himself up in Bristol as a stockbroker and public accountant.

Through Mr. Stanley he had already been appointed Secretary to the newly formed Bristol Tramway Company and had been entrusted with the negotiation of the necessary Parliamentary bills.

From this he never looked back, soon being consulted on tramway matters throughout England, while at the same time investing in failing transport enterprises (including railways), and turning them to profit before selling out.

Through ceaseless hard work, he became managing director and then chairman and principle shareholder of Bristol Tramways. He acquired Imperial Tramways, which owned lines in Dublin, Reading, Stockton, Middlesbrough and other cities.

Having been appointed Receiver to the failed West Metropolitan Tramways in London, he took the Company over and re-launched it successfully as London United Tramways.

With his lifelong friend, the engineer James Clifton Robinson, he pioneered the introduction of the conventional electric tramways in Great Britain, opening the first line in Bristol in 1895 and the first in London in 1901. Other cities followed.

Through London United he became involved in the race to pioneer electric underground railways beneath London's streets. Interested in the possibilities of the internal combustion engine, he began running motor taxis and motor buses in the first years of the 20th century and began to manufacture his own Bristol lorries and buses in 1908.

George White never forgot the financial strictures of his childhood and throughout his life gave generously to charity. He largely financed the building of two hospitals, the cause closest to his heart being the Bristol Royal Infirmary, of which he was President. He opened its state of the art new building, the Edward VII Memorial Hospital to Royal acclaim in 1912.

Clearly concerned by the advance in world aviation and the apparent inability of the British Government and British armed forces to protect Britain from the air, he determined from 1908 to found a British aircraft industry for the defence of the nation. This he did in February 1910, basing it in his native city, but with little expectation of any immediate financial return.

He urged the government constantly to take aviation seriously, declaring in a speech in 1912, that within five years "the Powers will be calling for thousands if not tens of thousands or airplanes" and adding his deeply held belief that the "possession of a strong fleet of aeroplanes by any country will be a dominating influence for peace."

Similarly concerned by the threat posed by the newly invented German U Boat, he backed the development of the anti-submarine and anti-mine Paravane with his own money. He pioneered the first "air stations" or airports in Britain. His flying schools were so successful that by the outbreak of war, they had trained half the pilots available to the forces.

Having appointed his son G. Stanley White Managing Director of his British and Colonial Aeroplane Company (later the Bristol Aeroplane Company) in 1911, Sir George died suddenly in 1916. His company would later to become the largest aircraft and aircraft engine manufacturer in the world.

Samuel White

Founding director and second chairman of the Bristol Aeroplane Company

When the entrepreneur Sir George White Bt. (1854-1916) founded the Bristol Aeroplane Company (then trading as the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company) in 1910, he appointed his younger brother Samuel White to the board. The third director was Sir George's son, G. Stanley White (1882-1964).

George and Samuel White's father, a painter and decorator, had died when George was eighteen and Samuel was eleven, leaving his family with very little money.

George's early successes in business however, allowed him to sponsor his younger brother's education and when Samuel himself reached 18, take him into partnership in George White and Co., the successful stockbroking company he had founded in Bristol.

It quickly emerged that Samuel had an exceptional talent for figures and accountancy and as George White's interests expanded into tramways, railways and transport generally, Samuel became his trusted lieutenant in all financial matters.

When George White was appointed receiver of the horse-drawn York Tramways in 1884, for example, it was the twenty three year old Samuel White who was sent north to evaluate the position. His report allowed George White to reconstitute the company in 1886 and run it successfully from Bristol.

In due course Samuel White became a director, the secretary or the managing director of many of his brother's companies, including the Bristol Tramway and Carriage Company, Imperial Tramways, London United Tramways, the Western Wagon and Property Company, and the Main Colliery. In these ways he was much involved in his brother's introduction of conventional electric tramways to Great Britain.

Samuel again played his part when Sir George determined to pioneer an aircraft industry in Britain between 1908 and 1910. His contribution (as always) was made in a low-key manner, as Samuel was a private man by nature with a strong religious faith.

He had no desire for public recognition of any kind. Samuel White's real interest in any event remained in tramways and in his brother's production of "Bristol" commercial vehicles and it was to that side of the family business that he devoted the greater part of his time.

When Sir George died suddenly in 1916, Samuel succeeded to the chairmanship of all his brother's companies. While he continued to take an active interest in tramway and commercial vehicle matters, Samuel left the running of the Bristol Aeroplane Company largely to its managing director, his nephew Sir G. Stanley White. He died unmarried in 1928, after suffering a long period of ill health.

Sir G. Stanley White 2nd Bt.

Founding Director of the Bristol Aeroplane Company

Managing Director from 1911-1954 and Deputy Chairman from 1955-1964

(George) Stanley White was the only son of the 'self-made' entrepreneur and philanthropist, Sir George White Bt. (1854-1916). From an early age Stanley White was caught up in the vortex of his father's ever-increasing business interests, beginning his career as an authorized clerk in George White & Co., his father's Bristol stockbroking company. He became a partner in 1907.

In time he rose to become a director of his father's other companies including the Bristol Tramway and Carriage Company, Imperial Tramways, the Main Colliery and the Western Wagon and Property Company.

As a young man Stanley White had exhibited a passion for speed and excitement, fearlessly hunting to hounds and driving a "Park Drag" (a sporting stagecoach-like carriage with four matched horses) with great skill.

It was no surprise therefore that when his father bought him a Panhard-Levassor motor car as a twenty-first birthday present in 1903, he took up motoring with enthusiasm. He collected his Panhard personally from Paris, driving it back to Bristol through the appalling weather that characterised that summer. In less than four months the car was fitted with a racing body. After the Panhard came a stream of enviable machines, beginning with a powerful De Dietrich.

When his father decided to pioneer an aircraft industry in Great Britain between 1908 and 1910, Stanley White became intimately involved. On the formation of the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company (later known as the Bristol Aeroplane Company) in February 1910, he became one of the three founding directors, the other two being his father and his uncle Samuel White.

Although his father forbade him to take up flying himself, he frequently flew with the pioneering French pilots employed by Bristol: Jullerot, Tétard and Tabuteau. He took many dramatic photographs from the air to demonstrate the vulnerability of military establishments.

In 1911 he was appointed Managing Director of the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, a post he held for over forty years. In that time he directed the company through two world wars, building the workforce from a few hundred employees to over seventy thousand.

The first aircraft he saw in production was the Bristol Boxkite of 1910, made of wood, Egyptian cotton and piano wire, flying at about 40 miles an hour. Almost the last to be designed during his tenure was the Bristol Type 188, which was made from puddle-welded stainless steel. It eventually flew at Mach 1.88.

Having made the brave decision to take over the failed Cosmos Engineering Company in 1920 and revive it as the Bristol Engine Department, Sir Stanley White oversaw the development of Bristol engines from the piston Jupiter, through the famous sleeve-valve engines to the turboprop Proteus and the turbojet Olympus.

The Bristol Type 223 design, combined with the Bristol Olympus engine later became the basis for Concorde. He enthusiastically supported the founding of the Bristol Car Division.

He was a modest man however and shunned publicity throughout his career. He was appointed Deputy Chairman after he retired as Managing Director and continued to work every day into his eighties.

Bristol Cars

The British aircraft industry suffered a dramatic loss of orders and great financial difficulties following the Armistice of 1918. To provide immediate employment for its considerable workforce, the Bristol Aeroplane Company undertook the manufacture of a light car (the Bristol Monocar), the construction of car bodies for Armstrong Siddeley and bus bodies for their sister company, Bristol Tramways.

On the outbreak of the Second World War, Sir G. Stanley White, Managing Director of the Bristol Aeroplane Company from 1911 to 1954 was determined not to suffer the same difficulties a second time.

The Company now employed 70,000 and he knew that he must plan for the time when the voracious wartime demand for Bristol aircraft and aircraft engines would suddenly end.

As early as 1941 a number of papers were written or commissioned by George S.M.White, Sir Stanley's son, proposing a post-war car manufacturing division. It was decided to purchase an existing manufacturer for this purpose. Alvis, Aston Martin, Lagonda, ERA and Lea Francis were considered.

A chance discussion took place in May 1945. It was between D.A. Aldington, a director of Frazer Nash then serving as an inspector for the wartime Ministry of Aircraft Production, and Eric Storey, an assistant of George White at the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It led to the immediate take-over of Frazer Nash by the Aeroplane Company.

D.A. Aldington and his two brothers had marketed the "Fraser Nash B.M.W." before the war, and proposed to build an updated version after demobilisation. This seemed the perfect match for the Aeroplane Company's own ambitions to manufacture a high quality sports car.

Sir George White and H.J. Aldington, with the support of the War Reparations Board, travelled to Munich and there purchased the rights to manufacture three BMW models and the 328 engine.

George White and Reginald Verdon-Smith of the Aeroplane Company joined the new Frazer Nash Board. However in January 1947, soon after the first cars had been produced, differences between the Aldingtons and Bristol led to the resale of Frazer Nash. The Bristol Car Division became an independent entity.

Bristol Cars Timeline

The “Raison D’être”

The British aircraft industry suffered a dramatic loss of orders and great financial difficulties following the Armistice of 1918. To provide immediate employment for its considerable workforce, the Bristol Aeroplane Company undertook the manufacture of a light car (the Bristol Monocar), the construction of car bodies for Armstrong Siddeley and bus bodies for their sister company, Bristol Tramways.

On the outbreak of the Second World War, Sir G. Stanley White, Managing Director of the Bristol Aeroplane Company from 1911 to 1954 was determined not to suffer the same difficulties a second time. The Company now employed 70,000 and he knew that he must plan for the time when the voracious wartime demand for Bristol aircraft and aircraft engines would suddenly end.

As early as 1941 a number of papers were written or commissioned by George S.M.White, Sir Stanley's son, proposing a post-war car manufacturing division. It was decided to purchase an existing manufacturer for this purpose. Alvis, Aston Martin, Lagonda, ERA and Lea Francis were considered.

1945-1947

The Beginning

A chance discussion took place in May 1945. It was between D.A. Aldington, a director of Frazer Nash then serving as an inspector for the wartime Ministry of Aircraft Production, and Eric Storey, an assistant of George White at the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It led to the immediate take-over of Frazer Nash by the Aeroplane Company.

D.A. Aldington and his two brothers had marketed the "Fraser Nash B.M.W." before the war, and proposed to build an up-dated version after demobilisation. This seemed the perfect match for the Aeroplane Company's own ambitions to manufacture a high quality sports car.

With the support of the War Reparations Board, H.J. Aldington travelled to Munich and there purchased the rights to manufacture three BMW models and the 328 engine.

George White and Reginald Verdon-Smith of the Aeroplane Company joined the new Frazer Nash Board, but in January 1947, soon after the first cars had been produced, differences between the Aldingtons and Bristol led to the resale of Frazer Nash. The Bristol Car Division became an independent entity.

1947-1960

A Reputation Is Made

George S.M. White, joint Managing Director of the Bristol Aeroplane Company was appointed managing director of the Car Division in 1947 and from 1955 chairman and managing director of Bristol Cars Ltd.

During these heady years, the car division produced six production cars (the type 400 to the 406) powered by Bristol-built 2 litre engines. Built to aircraft standards, using aircraft construction methods and under strict aircraft-style quality inspection, they quickly gained a reputation of being among the finest cars in the world.

They achieved notable sporting success from the 1948 Polish Rally onwards. A Bristol 450 racing car won the 2 litre class at Reims in 1953 and Bristol 450s came first, second and third in their class at Le Mans in 1954 and 1955.

Arnolt Bristols, Cooper Bristols, AC, ERA, Frazer Nash, Lotus, Lister and Tojeiro Bristols all achieved success in the hands of such legendary drivers as Jack Brabham, Mike Hawthorn and Stirling Moss. The Racing team under Vivian Selby included the former "Bentley Boys", Sammy Davis, Stan Ivermee and Percy Kemish.

1969-1973

Independence

Believing that "big is best", the British Government forced the mergers of aircraft manufacturers in the late 1950's. The Bristol Aeroplane Company was split in two, the airframe division joining the British Aircraft Corporation, where its type 198 design was developed into Concorde.

The aero-engine division, was merged into Bristol Siddeley (subsequently Rolls-Royce), where the Bristol Pegasus was developed to power the Harrier jump-jet and the Bristol Olympus to power Concorde.

Bristol Cars also merged with Bristol Siddeley, and was marked for closure, but was bought in September 1960 by George S.M. White the chairman and effective founder. George White retained the direction of the company, but sold a forty per cent shareholding to Anthony Crook, a leading Bristol agent. Mr. Crook became sole distributor.

Without the financial and practical assistance of the Bristol Aeroplane Company, Bristol Cars could no longer develop its own engines. It turned instead to specially built Canadian Chrysler V8s, ensuring a product of exceptional quality and restrained beauty, but with the heart of a lion.

1973-1997

New Ownership

In September 1969, only a month before the unveiling of the new Bristol type 411 at Earl's Court, Sir George White (as he had become) suffered a serious accident in his Bristol 410. The car was only superficially damaged, but he suffered severe trauma.

As time passed it became clear that he would never regain his health sufficiently to return full-time to work. To safeguard the future of his loyal workforce, he decided reluctantly in 1973, that he must sell his majority shareholding to Anthony Crook.

As the ties with the White family were severed, British Aerospace (successors to the Bristol Aeroplane Company) requested the company to move its factory from Filton Aerodrome and it found new premises in nearby Patchway. Anthony Crook's showroom in Kensington High Street became the head office, with Mr. Crook shuttling between the two in Bristol's light aircraft.

Under Mr. Crook's direction the company produced at least six types, the names of which were largely borrowed from Bristol's distinguished aeronautical past: the Beaufighter, Blenheim, Britannia and Brigand.

1997-2011

The End of the Second Era

In February 1997, Anthony Crook sold a fifty per cent holding in Bristol Cars to Toby Silverton, with an option to take full control within four years. Silverton, then son-in-law of Joe Lewis of the Tavistock Group and son of Arthur Silverton of Overfinch, joined the board with his father.

Anthony Crook and Toby Silverton produced the Speedster, Bullet and 411 Series 6, though 2002 saw the transfer of Bristol Cars fully into the ownership of Toby Silverton and the Tavistock Group, with Silverton in the chair and Anthony Crook remaining as managing director.

Together they developed a two seater V10 "supercar" named after the first Sir George White's world-famous First World War two-seater aircraft, the Bristol Fighter.

Anthony Crook finally relinquished his connection with Bristol Cars in August 2007. In March 2011, to the general distress of the motor industry and Bristol owners alike, it was announced that Bristol Cars had been placed into administration.

Personalities

George White

George White was the grandson of the founder of the Bristol Aeroplane Company. He was educated at Harrow School and Magdalene College Cambridge, where he studied under W.S. Farren.

He left to work on the B.A.C. shop floor, rising to become general manager in 1940, a director in 1942 and ultimately serving as joint managing director and deputy chairman. He held both the latter positions until through mergers, the Bristol Aeroplane Company effectively ceased to exist in 1967. He was responsible for the direction of the aircraft and armament divisions during the Second World War and was the link between the Ministry of Aircraft Production and the company.

In planning for the post-war manufacturing activities of the B.A.C, he particularly urged the production of the Bristol Freighter and of high quality motor cars. He devoted much time and enthusiasm to the formation of the Car Division and to the acquisition of Frazer Nash.

He took charge of the division from 1946 and was appointed managing director of the division in 1947, when Bristol and Frazer Nash separated. On the formation of Bristol Cars Ltd in 1956 he became its chairman and managing director. At the same time he also served as a director of Bristol Aeroplane Plastics, which amongst an array of advanced products from aircraft drop-tanks to yachts, made car bodies for Nobel and Lotus.

Following the merging of the Aeroplane Company's airframe and engine divisions to form the British Aircraft Corporation and Bristol-Siddeley Engines in 1959, he purchased Bristol Cars Ltd. He sold a forty per cent interest in the company to Anthony Crook, by then the sole Bristol distributor. George White became senior partner when the company was restructured, retaining exclusive control of management and policy, while Anthony Crook remained fully responsible for sales.

In September 1969, George White suffered serious injury in a car accident, from which he never fully recovered. With very great sadness he recognised his inability to continue running his company and sold his majority holding to Anthony Crook in 1973.

George White and his future brother-in-law rebuilt and drove an early GN while still at school in 1930. He subsequently owned an Alvis and two Aston Martins, but his father Sir G. Stanley White, forbade him to drive cars competitively.

Encouraged by Sir Roy Fedden, he took up motor-boat racing from 1931 onwards. He achieved numerous British and World records in his Riley powered "Bulldog II" and his Lycoming powered Bulldog III.

In 1937, with the help of Capt. George Eyston, he was actively working on Bulldog IV, powered by a Napier Lion engine, with a view to attempting the World Water Speed Record. A serious accident in April 1938, in which Bulldog III rolled over during a 24 mile record attempt in Poole Harbour, cut short George White's sporting career.

Anthony Crook

T. A. D. Crook, known as "Tony", was born in Rusholme, Manchester in February 1920. He was educated at Clifton College and Cambridge. His family had been proprietors of coalmines, but his father died when he was young. He often recalled how at the age of six he was taken as a treat to Southport Sands. There he saw cars racing and instantaneously developed a passion for motor sport.

Tony Crook served with the RAFVR from 1939 – 1946, achieving the rank of Flight Lieutenant. He was twice mentioned in Dispatches. He practiced driving technique in his BMW 328 on a Lincolnshire aerodrome during the war, in preparation for post-war competition. While still in uniform he became a protégé of Raymond Mays of ERA fame and when the war ended, he won the first post-war motor race, held at Gransden Lodge.

For ten years he took part in over four hundred, hill climbs, sprints, races and other motoring events, at first with his BMW and a 2.9 litre twin supercharged Alfa Romeo. He won in his own words, "literally hundreds of races".

At the age of 27 he set up his own sales, servicing and race preparation company, Anthony Crook Motors, buying a garage with a Ford agency at Town End, Caterham. In addition to selling cars by Aston Martin, Lagonda, Fiat, Simca and Ford, Anthony Crook Motors became one of twenty-two United Kingdom agents appointed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company Car Division.

Anthony Crook purchased his first Bristol 400 in March 1948 and at the end of 1949 he bought a Bristol-engined Frazer Nash from H.J. Aldington, which he raced both in his own name and that of Frazer Nash. He subsequently acquired two Cooper-Bristols, using all three cars in competition to demonstrate the race preparation skills of his company.

He drove in the 1952 and 1953 British Grand Prix and in 1952 Monaco Grand Prix, which that year included Formula 2 cars. He was the author of many ingenious publicity stunts to highlight his Bristol agency.

In 1954, Tony Crook opened a showroom in Esher High Street and in 1956 expanded again in premises at Hersham, where he dealt not only in cars, but also in aeroplanes and helicopters. He greatly increased his sales of Bristol cars during this period.

In 1962 he took a lease on the famous 'Bristol' showroom in Kensington and by 1966 had assumed the role of sole distributor of the 'Bristol' marque. When, as a result of the re-organization of the aircraft industry in 1969, Bristol Cars Ltd was threatened with closure and was purchased by Sir George White, Anthony Crook Motors acquired a 40 per cent shareholding.

Tony Crook became chairman, managing director and sole owner of Bristol Cars in 1973, following the retirement of Sir George, who had suffered severe injuries in a motoring accident. Crook moved the factory from Filton to Patchway, shuttling between London and Gloucestershire in his light aircraft.

He retired as sole proprietor of Bristol Cars in 2007, having sold out his interest to the Tavistock Group.

Bristol Cars Models

1946: Bristol 400

The first Bristol to go into production, the 400 was a close-coupled two door saloon. Inspired by the pre-war 326 and 328 BMWs, it benefitted from the metallurgical advances of WW2 aviation. Low aerodynamic drag, high mechanical efficiency and modest weight meant it proved a successful rally car. With a top speed of 95.7mph and a six cylinder 2 litre engine, it was unusually efficient for its time.

1948: Bristol 401

While mechanically similar to its predecessor, the 401 showed off the aeronautically-honed skills of the Filton factory’s aerodynamicists perfectly. A smooth exterior enabled it to become the first 2 litre production saloon to achieve 100mph. Built entirely of aluminium, the body of this four seater Bristol was tested in wind tunnels and on runways to achieve the greatest aerodynamic efficiency.

1949: Bristol 402

A convertible version of the 401, the 402 had a smoothly-contoured hood which folded completely out of sight. Marketed in limited numbers, it was nicknamed the 'Hollywood Special' after a pair of early models were ordered by film star Stewart Granger and his actress wife Jean Simmons.

1953: Bristol 403

Launched in 1953, the 403 was designed as a replacement the 401. While it retained the same shape, subtle differences significantly improved its performance. Better brakes, an improved gearbox, larger valves, a sturdier crankshaft and greater oil capacity meant the engine could yield 100bhp and reach speeds of up to 106mph.

1953: Bristol 404

Christened 'the businessman's express', this two seater coupé was built on the same chassis as the 403 but with a shorter wheelbase. Weighing in at less than a ton, the 404 came with a choice of engines (a 100B version with 105bhp or a 100C sports version with 125bhp). It also boasted a much better braking system than earlier models, to go cope with a top speed of 110mph. As well as featuring tail fins that echoed the design of Bristol’s 450 racing coupes, the 404 was the first Bristol to have a spare wheel and battery fitted inside the wheelbase.

1954: Bristol 405

Launched at the 1954 Motor Show, the 405 was the only four door car ever built at Filton. Virtually identical to the 404 coupe from the windscreen forward, this high-performance four-seater was considered the last of the first generation of Bristols. As well as being an everyday choice of transport for designer Sir Paul Smith, the 405 recently gained newfound fame after appearing in the Academy Award-nominated film An Education.

1958: Bristol 406

A luxurious two door saloon with a larger 2.2 litre engine, front wheel disc brakes and improved rear suspension, the 406 kept many of the typical Bristol characteristics. However, it took a more modern shape with its longer wheelbase and a greater internal width. All sorts of extra comforts could be found inside, from headrests and a telescopic steering column, to an automatic windscreen washer and a padded safety roll. Although it retained 105bhp, its extra weight and focus on comfort and convenience meant its predecessors had the edge in speed. Nevertheless, it was still capable of speeds over 100mph.

1961: Bristol 407

The 407 was the first new model to be built by Bristol Cars Ltd after its separation from the Bristol Aeroplane Company in 1960. With a 5.2 litre Chrysler V8 engine, 250bhp and top speeds of 125mph, the 407 offered armchair luxury together with high performance. The new V8 engine meant two and a half times greater capacity than earlier Bristols, yet this popular saloon remained comparatively economic. Outwardly it looked similar to the 406, although subtle changes included an extra exhaust pipe at the rear and coil-sprung suspension.

1963: Bristol 408

A two door, four seater saloon, the 408 was mechanically identical to the 407, with a Chrysler V8 engine and automatic transmission. Outwardly, a rectangular grille with pronounced horizontal bars was introduced, along with rectangular indicator lamps. Its top speed was capable of exceeding 122mph.

1965: Bristol 409

The first Bristol to offer power steering, the 409 was a 130mph four seater saloon that seemed visually identical to its predecessor, the 408. The same Chrysler V8 engine remained at 5,211cc, but offered increased power and torque. Thanks to softer springs, the 409 also boasted the smoothest ride of any Bristol to date.

1967: Bristol 410

Low and sleek, the 410 took on a slightly more curved appearance than earlier models of the series. Seating four with two doors, it boasted a new, more complex system of braking circuits to offer the greatest safety yet. With 250bhp, the 410's top speed was 130mph. Another Bristol star, this model become an icon of the small screen. The aristocratic policeman Inspector Lynley drove one of these in the eponymous television show.

1969: Bristol 411

With a big-block B Series Chrysler V8 6.3 litre engine, the popular 411 boasted 30 per cent more power than its predecessor and was capable of speeds of 143mph. In production for seven years in total, a second edition was introduced in 1971 with self-levelling suspension. This was followed by a third series a year later, a 6.5 litre Series 4 in 1974 and a fifth series from 1975 to 1976. Electric windows, halogen headlamps and rear seat belts were all introduced as standard over the lifetime of the 411.

1975: Bristol 412

A Targa-type Zagato-designed convertible with a removable roof, the 412 was the last of the numbered series to begin with a 4. The 412 kept the 6.3 litre Chrysler B series engine of the 411 until 1977, when a second edition was introduced with a 5,899cc petrol engine. Continuing Bristol Cars' tradition of introducing new technology, the 412 was the first car in production to boast a frameless window glass that dropped half an inch when the door was opened. It was also the first car to offer a factory option of dual-fuel petrol/LPG.

1976: Bristol 603

Introduced alongside the 412 to replace the Bristol 411, the 603 was dramatically restyled to become much more streamlined with a large, curved rear window. As well as a 5.9 litre version, a 5.2 litre engine was made available for a period due to rising fuel prices. The more economical engine was phased out by the second series, which offered a 5.9 litre engine as standard.

1980: Bristol Beaufighter

Based on the 412 but with an added turbocharger, the Beaufighter became the fastest accelerating automatic full four-seater production car of its day. It also boasted a top speed of 150mph. Still featuring the same Zagato design as the 412, with a removable roof, it is distinguishable by its four headlamps.

1982: Bristol Britannia & Brigand

The Series 3 603S was brought out in 1982, when Bristol began adopting names of the famous Bristol Aeroplane Company models for its cars. The Britannia was the standard version, while the Brigand had a turbocharger added to enable speeds of up to 150mph. Outwardly, the Brigand could be distinguished by a bulge in the bonnet, which accommodated the turbocharger.

1993: Bristol Blenheim

The Series 4 603 was named the Bristol Blenheim and benefitted from the most modern mechanicals yet, with a multi-port fuel injection to improve performance and fuel consumption. Since its introduction in 1993, two further series were brought out. The Blenheim remains unique among modern passenger cars, with its entire engine and all major masses, including the spare wheel and battery, being within the wheelbase. With a 5.9 litre V8 engine, the current Blenheim 3 is capable of speeds of 152mph.

2004: Bristol Fighter

With a top speed of 210mph, Bristol Cars' iconic two-seater supercar boasted a modified Chrysler Viper 8 litre V-10 engine, enabling a 0-60mph sprint in 4 seconds. With gullwing doors and a tight turning circle, the ultra-aerodynamic Fighter was influenced by the innovative design features of aircraft, high speed missiles and even submarines.